Open Road

First track weekend in a year! Hope I remember how to drive. Car is loaded up, heading out....

Have fun and be safe Mike. Post more pics when you can.

Man I've only been once in the last seven years!

I stopped after my son was born because he was such a pain that I didn't feel right leaving my wife for a weekend without help. But now that he's older I look to get started again one day.

Have a great time!

Got home a short while ago. Fantastic weekend! Bragging rights earned: I had my fastest lap time ever at this track, which I've been going to for nearly a decade. After all the medical issues last year where I couldn't even drive a regular street car, it was an amazingly good time!. First real thing I've done since this covid crappola. Some pix. The Lamborghini guy wasn't too good. I caught him at every single corner. He was polite about point-bys.

Cuda911 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 25, 2021 12:24 am Got home a short while ago. Fantastic weekend! Bragging rights earned: I had my fastest lap time ever at this track, which I've been going to for nearly a decade. After all the medical issues last year where I couldn't even drive a regular street car, it was an amazingly good time!. First real thing I've done since this covid crappola. Some pix. The Lamborghini guy wasn't too good. I caught him at every single corner. He was polite about point-bys.

Wow fastest lap after being away for a while?!? Man last time I went I took it pretty easy even though it was my home track that I'm quite familiar with.

Regarding the Lambo, I drove a Gallardo during one of those "Supercar Experience" events and did so on the track I'm real familiar with. What I thought is that the Lambo felt heavy and not as agile as my car. Sure it was a sledgehammer when I punched the throttle but in the corners it just didn't feel as capable of handling as a 911.

Now I'm positive a lot of this has to do with the fact that I was unfamiliar with the car but I left that experience not being impressed with much about the Lambo except for the looks and sound.

Nice work achieving your best lap time there and working that Lambo. Good stuff, thanks for sharing.

Thx! Best weekend I've had in over a year!

Guy from the car behind me just sent me this vid.

That "stage" across the start/finish looks new. What is that?

They were setting up for some event. No idea what, though.

Good job Mike. Glad you had a great weekend.

Headed to Willow Springs this weekend. Looking forward to it! Will post pix.

Alrighty then, headed off to the track tomorrow! :).

Cuda911 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 02, 2021 1:50 am Alrighty then, headed off to the track tomorrow! :).

Wow that looks like quite the track with loads of space to run-off in case things go south!

Let us know how it goes and take pics to post!

Will do! Yeah, it's a fun track to push the limits at, due to good run-off spots!

Cuda911 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 02, 2021 12:36 pm Will do! Yeah, it's a fun track to push the limits at, due to good run-off spots!

Don't do it too much though as I know at least with the PCA events I've attended you'll get black-flagged if your car leaves the track too often.

We just have to come into the pits after an off - track event, for a quick inspection. Tons off off- track events at this track! Unless you are driving in an unsafe manner, all is good!

Fun fun!!! Looking forward to eye candy from the event. Good luck.

Sheesh, cars gonna be dropping like flies.

Cuda911 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 03, 2021 3:07 am Sheesh, cars gonna be dropping like flies.

Wow, hope you have your coolshirt on...

We're actually going through a cold front here in FL with the high today being only 70! Just came back from a bike ride with the family as it's probably the last opportunity before the humidity comes back next week for Summer.

Wish I had one. Holy crap, I felt like I was going to pass out near the end of the last session.

Ok, this was fun.

Oooops.

Hope all you needed was a car wash.

Wow tell us more, what happened?!?

Pro tip: Helps to have more than 0.0 mm pad left.

holy shyte! You're lucky that it appears you had a run out. Would have been fun having that happen on turn 9 at Watkins Glen with the blue Armco right there

also, who got the picture? Pretty good. Trail cam set up?

I think the guy behind me got video of it. Will post here if he sends it to me.

Was in the middle of that dust cloud. When it cleared, I saw the track photographer about 75 feet away. Went to his trailer and asked if he got pix. He said " you mean those?" I looked up, and he had it on the splash screens of all the TVs in there!

Track is in the middle of nowhere. Closest "town" is Hell, California. Awesome vacation spot.

Cuda911 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 12:49 am Track is in the middle of nowhere. Closest "town" is Hell, California. Awesome vacation spot.

I'm sure there will still be some protestor out there one day complaining about the noise or environmental impact of the track!

You "hittin" hwy 420 a little too often and not inspecting your car before a track day...i.e. brake pad wear?

Great photos, looks like you had yourself a good time, and no one got hurt.

Ha, I knew the pads were getting thin, but they chunked and broke away before I had a chance to swap 'em. No damage or injuries to anything/anyone.

Short vid of me from the guy behind me. The place I went off is at 1:55. Didn't quite make that left! :) A different session. He's looking for the vid.

OK, here's the "off" vid. :)

it's good you didn't catch a wheel and flip!

Never seen that happen at this track. Been here many times. Possible, but extremely rare. Other tracks, sure.

I like the wave as he past you.....lol.

Nice catch.

amdavid wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:42 pm I like the wave as he past you.....lol.

Nice catch.

Was just thinking the same

It does show though how a little bit of imbalance can throw you off completely and you end up facing the wrong way.

fpena944 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:54 pm

amdavid wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:42 pm I like the wave as he past you.....lol.

Nice catch.

Was just thinking the same

It does show though how a little bit of imbalance can throw you off completely and you end up facing the wrong way.

Yeah, I bust out laughing when I saw the wave. Textbook example of why not to lift in a turn!

I took first for my car class... by 1/100 second! Me and the second place guy:

Cuda911 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 3:02 pm I took first for my car class... by 1/100 second! Me and the second place guy:

Was this a DE or a race? I didn't think they timed DEs at all?

We are the only region in the country that is allowed to time Time Trials at DEs. Due to our excellent protocols and safety record.

I was going to ask why when the rear wiggled you didn't stomp on it....or at least get on throttle. Easy to suggest from other side of the keyboard though...

amdavid wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 5:26 pm I was going to ask why when the rear wiggled you didn't stomp on it....or at least get on throttle. Easy to suggest from other side of the keyboard though...

Ha, tried hard to save it, but that section is downhill and off-camber. Once I lifted (was gaining rapidly on the car ahead, entering the "bowl"... a no passing zone) the end of the story was written for me by the track gods.

Double points event this weekend at Willow Springs International Raceway. Took 1st in both! :)

From this weekend. It was rough out there!

HI Mike. Is that your grey Boxster in the top photo? I hope not. If so, glad you're OK and it doesn't look too serious.
Seems like there was quite a bit or Red Mist floating about.

Holy Chit - what happened? Box in a ditch? Why such a big drop off by the track? (maybe I'm not seeing the picture quite right?)

Edit - actually - looks like a couple of different Boxsters?

Cuda911 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 08, 2021 2:30 am From this weekend. It was rough out there!

I'm curious too, what's the story around each of the photos?

It was at Buttonwillow Raceway. A very technical track, super easy to go off in many areas.

The black Boxter at top spun out at the 90-degree left entering the front straight, hit a tire wall. Carrera in second one hit a berm/tire wall. Boxster with stickers is me. Back came out at the end of a big full-gas sweeper. Car went so far off into the dirt that I hit a corner-working station (well, the tire wall around it anyway). Last pic: the guy's breaks failed.

Cuda911 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 08, 2021 2:16 pm It was at Buttonwillow Raceway. A very technical track, super easy to go off in many areas.

The black Boxter at top spun out at the 90-degree left entering the front straight, hit a tire wall. Carrera in second one hit a berm/tire wall. Boxster with stickers is me. Back came out at the end of a big full-gas sweeper. Car went so far off into the dirt that I hit a corner-working station (well, the tire wall around it anyway). Last pic: the guy's breaks failed.

Sounds like a bad brake...